A reversal of the order is fatal

W.G.T. Shedd

There are two invitations given by the Lord Jesus Christ, which cover the whole subject of a sinner's salvation. One is an invitation to come to him, and the other an invitation to come after him. Examples of the first are: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. Examples of the second are: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Matt. 11 : 29. "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Matt. 16:24. The first of these is an invitation to come to the Saviour, by trusting penitently in his atoning blood in order to pardon and reconciliation with God's holiness. The second is an invitation to come after the Saviour, by imitating his character and example. And they must be accepted in the order in which the Saviour has placed them. A reversal of the order is fatal. If the sinner attempts to come after the Saviour before he has come to him, to copy the Redeemer's life and conduct without seeking peace with God by trust in the Redeemer's offering for sin, it will be an utter failure. A pacified conscience and a sense of being forgiven, must go before all true obedience. If, again, the sinner separates these two invitations, the consequence is equally fatal. If he attempts to obey the first without obeying the second, to come to Christ without coming after him, he is St. James's antinomian and his faith is dead faith without works. And if he attempts to obey the second invitation without obeying the first, to come after Christ without coming to him, he is St. Paul's legalist, who has no true sense of sin, rejects Christ's expiation, and expects salvation by moral character and a moral life.

If your children are in your home for 18 years

If your children are in your home for 18 years, you have over 5,600 occasions (figuring a 6-day week) for family worship.If you learn a new psalm or hymn each month, they will be exposed to 216 in those 18 years. If you read a chapter a day, you will complete the Bible 4.5 times in 18 years. Every day they will affirm a creed or recite the law. Every day they will confess their sins and plead for mercy. Every day they will intercede on behalf of others. Think in terms of the long view. What is the cumulative impact of just 15 minutes of this each day, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, for 18 years? At the rate of 6 days a week (excluding Sunday), one spends an hour and a half a week in family worship (about the length of a home Bible study), 78 hours a year (about the length of two weekend retreats), and
1,404 hours over the course of 18 years (about the length of eight week-long summer camps). When
you establish your priorities, think in terms of the cumulative effect of this upon your children. Think of the cumulative effect of this upon you, after 40 or 60 or 80 years of daily family worship. All this without having to drive anywhere.

Terry Johnson is senior minister at Independent Presbyterian
Church in Savannah, Georgia. This excerpt is from his Family
Worship Book (Christian Focus, 2003).
by Terry Johnson

A Critique of Tenets 22 and 23 of Vision Forum's “The Tenets Of Biblical Patriarchy”

Perhaps the most controversial plank in Vision Forum's platform is the issue of patriarchy, or what they call
"biblical patriarchy". That will be the focus of this paper. It is important to state at the onset that the issue is not whether scripture describes a family structure that stresses the headship of the husband/father, because there is little argument that this is case. Rather the question is this: Is the pattern VF asserts as being the "biblical" model correct? This purpose of this paper is show that some of the methods and tactics VF utilizes to promote their definition of patriarchy are flawed and may even be harmful.

The Editor's Note in “The Tenets Of Biblical Patriarchy” states:
Central to the crisis of this era is the systematic attack on the timeless truths of biblical patriarchy. This
attack includes the movement to subvert the biblical model of the family, and redefine the very meaning of
fatherhood and motherhood, masculinity, femininity, and the parent and child relationship. We emphasize the
importance of biblical patriarchy, not because it is greater than other doctrines, but because it is being actively attacked by unbelievers and professing Christians alike. Egalitarian feminism is a false ideology that has bred false doctrine in the church and seduced many believers.

Apparently, disagreeing with “The Tenets Of Biblical Patriarchy” automatically makes one an "egalitarian
feminist" who promulgates false doctrine. Such an inflated view of the absolute correctness of their doctrine should be the first warning that there may be danger ahead.


Vision Forum Hermeneutics: Theonomy, Dominionism, Christian Reconstructionism

“The Tenets Of Biblical Patriarchy” can be examined apart from a basic understanding of the underlying
hermeneutical system known as theonomy or Christian Reconstructionism as employed by Doug Phillips and
Vision Forum.  A full critique of theonomy or Reconstructionism is not possible in this brief article. The reader is referred to the Appendix for a list of resources in addition to those cited in the footnotes.


The rest of the critique is found here;

http://dividingtheword.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/vf_22_23_2b.pdf